Re: Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Here is the address of Cybertronics, who makes the Vagal Nerve Stimulator http://www.cyberonics.com/They have a message board with a lot of discussion about it's use for depression.

Also here is an exerpt of an article that was emailed to me. Those of you interested in TMS and rTMS will recognize Dr. Mark George.

I believe this Article was dated October 11. Annie

Brain Shocks May Help Depression

.c The Associated Press

By LAURAN NEERGAARD

WASHINGTON (AP) - The former shipbuilder had severe depression unrelieved by any of today's therapies, so sick he had trouble even leaving his house. Then doctors implanted a pacemaker-like device to stimulate a part of his brain thought important for mood - and that very day the man laughed.

``It was remarkable,'' recalled Dr. Mark George of the Medical University of South Carolina, who performed the experimental implant. ``I said, 'Are you being forced to laugh or do you feel good inside?' He said both.''

Stimulating a nerve that runs from the neck into one of the brain's most mysterious regions appears promising enough at relieving once-untreatable depression that the government just granted permission for a study at 15 hospitals around the country.

The treatment, called vagus nerve stimulation, involves sending tiny electric shocks into the vagus nerve in the neck, where it then relays messages deep into the brain.

About half of the 30 depressed patients treated in a pilot study - people who had failed every other treatment - ``got a very good response,'' George said in an interview.

The results are not definitive, he cautioned. But he added, ``Stimulating there really is a wonderful portal into the base of the brain.''

Indeed, scientists think stimulating this nerve could have even more far-reaching effects, such as enhancing memory or treating obesity by curbing appetite.

That's because the vagus nerve is what Dr. Mitchell Roslin of Brooklyn's Maimonedes Medical Center calls ``one of the information superhighways'' between the brain and other organs. It relays messages, such as signals to regulate heartbeat, and sends messages back to the brain, such as when the stomach is full.

The nerve also reaches deep into brain regions thought to regulate mood and emotion, said Dr. John Rush of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who heads the pilot depression study.

If the implant truly signals the depressed brain circuits to act more normally, it could prove important for some of the estimated 1 million Americans with depression uneased by conventional therapy.

The stimulator is essentially a brain pacemaker. A generator the size of a pocket watch is implanted into the chest. Wires snake up the neck to zap the nerve every few minutes.

Two years ago, the Food and Drug Administration approved the implant to treat severe epilepsy, a way to signal the brain to reduce seizures.

Depression often accompanies epilepsy. Soon after the implants began selling, doctors began reporting epilepsy patients who felt happier even if the implant failed to reduce their seizures.

``There's certainly an overlap between emotions and the site where people have intractable seizures,'' said Dr. Cynthia Harden of Cornell University, author of one of those early studies.

So manufacturer Cyberonics Inc. funded a pilot study of patients with untreatable depression not complicated by epilepsy. Full results won't be unveiled until December, but George said about half the patients responded well - prompting the FDA last week to approve a new study, beginning early next year at 15 hospitals, to prove the effect.

T

> Hi everyone,> > I was in Hawaii last week and happened to stumble upon this article about using vagus nerve stimulation to treat untreatable depression. It definately seems like a completely new approach to me. I will retype parts of the article for you, as I don't have a scanner. > > Stimulating a nerve that runs from the neck into one of the brain's most mysterious regions appears promising enough at relieving once-untreatable depression that the government just granted permission for a study at 15 hospitals around the country. The treatment, called vagus nerve stimulation, involves sending tiny electric shocks into the vagus nerve in the neck, where it then relays messages deep into the brain. About half of the 30 depressed patients treated in a pilot study - people who had failed every other treatment - "got a very good response"...The stimulator is essentially a brain pacemaker. A generator the size of a pocket watch is implanted into the chest. Wires snake up the neck to zap the nerve every few minutes. Two years ago, the Food and Drug Administration approved the implant to treat severe epilepsy, a way to signal the brain to reduce seizures...doctors began reporting the epilepsy patients felt happier even if the implant failed to reduce their seizures.> > It's also seems to be good for enhancing memory and controlling appetites of obese people.> > Interesting, yes? I'm not certain as to whether you can locate this article through the internet, but it was on page A14, Tuesday, October 12 in the Star Bulletin, Honolulu, Hawaii. Janice>